LGBT support network for psychoanalytic practitioners

We welcome the progressive social changes in recent years around LGBT rights and increasing acceptance of sexual and gender diversity. This enables full participation of LGBT individuals in society and strengthens and enriches society as a whole.

We are pleased to help with setting up an LGBT support network for psychoanalytic/dynamic practitioners as a timely and useful initiative for our professional community. The existence of the network will provide a safe space for LGBT practitioners to discuss issues of personal and professional development. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic organisations need confident, open and talented LGBT practitioners to take up leadership and seniority positions; we will help the network to support such individuals for this to happen.

We pledge to collaborate with the LGBT network to foster a more open and accepting culture of sexual and gender diversity in our own organisations, and in improving our services to the public. We will find ways to help fund and support the network to conduct and generate research into homophobia; develop effective psychoanalytic interventions to address the challenge of AIDS; and work with others to tackle difficult issues at the intersection of religious faith, hatred of difference and radicalisation.